VillainsGin

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

1.  Yes

2.  Yes

3. No

Thank you for the short and sweet answer! what a great way to accumulate C&A points towards diamond!

Hello!

I've tried googling and sifting through the threads but did not find the information i was looking for. Below are a few questions I have regarding crown & anchor points with casino royale complimentary jr suite cruises I've been awarded:

Questions

1. I received a free jr. suite cruise for 7 days on symphony ots through casino royale's program from gambling, do I receive double the crown & anchor points even though it was free through casino royale?
2. If I do receive double the C&A points, will I receive triple the points as a solo cruiser?
3. If i do receive double the C&A points, does the royal up bidding program affect the points if I land an upgrade?

Thank you in advance for helping me out with these questions. The main question I wanted to know is #1.

cococay is now tolerable even in the winter season which is nice all year round. What I mean is that hideaway beach has a huge swim up bar that is heated and extremely warm which I take advantage of if I end up going during the winter.

On 4/11/2023 at 5:35 AM, jeffmw said:

My family and I are on the verge of going Platinum on Crown & Anchor. 

At first, I was excited to get there, but it really doesn't seem like you get much of anything. I'm sure this has been discussed here often, but do the lower levels of C&A not seem almost insultingly underwhelming?

You literally get Gold for just going on a cruise. And it seems the only additional thing I get for getting up to Platinum (which represents a month on their ships, >$25k spent with their company, etc.) beyond everyone else who has ever been on a cruise before is a bath robe and an additional 5% off spa services and Internet (we're talking <$1 per day on Internet service.) And even the Emerald level, which represents additional 25 days -- and another $~20k spent on their ships -- seems to only get me a couple free bottles of water. 

How is this possible? I realize there are a lot of people at these levels so anything they give away needs to be of negligible hard cost , but how can they possibly pass these things off as legitimate perks for repeat customers? Even to get a discount on a sailing, I have to book a balcony or better. Why would loyal customers who repeatedly decide to vacation with Royal not be provided even a small discount for choosing a lower-cost room?

There are so many things they could offer customers at this level that would cost them little to nothing and make them feel appreciated for their loyalty. To give someone a bath robe and TWO bottles of WATER as a thanks for spending $50k+ with them is almost insulting. 

Again, sure this has been discussed here to death before, but just wanted to see if perhaps I'm missing something. 

 

 

I've also realized this and always preferred leaning towards casino royale to take care of me when it comes to loyalty. This is ONLY if you already gamble or enjoy gambling responsibly of course. 

I could care less about crown & anchor society points anymore since i've discovered how to maximize perks in casino royale. I'm constantly receiving free comped cruised for jr suites/balconies rooms for 2 guest. Every day they send me a bottle of wine or chocolate strawberries into my stateroom AND occasionally I can get discounts or comps on restaurants or merch during my sailing. Also if you're minimum prime you get free alcoholic drinks or higher quality water like evian for free! I basically just hoard those into my stateroom for when I get thirsty.  

Forgot to include they waive the charge fee for charging casino chips onto your stateroom which is extremely advantageous for saving $.

Best part is that while you book comp'd cruises through casino royale they also count towards your crown & anchor points!

On 11/27/2023 at 6:55 AM, Mr. K said:

I'm currently on the Oasis of the Seas and when we went to purchase our WOW Bands we were told they have been discontinued. 

Is this fleet wide or just limited to the Oasis? Was looking forward to this feature & was surprised by what we were told. 

I just got off Icon of the Seas 03/2024 last week and can confirm WOW bands are still very much available for purchase and use.

Although in my personal opinion it's much more convenient for me to just use my seapass card for everything, some passengers love utilizing them.

7 hours ago, RoyalCruiser999 said:

Got my room number for a ocean view balcony on Wonder, #10528. Listed as obstructed, I have tried to look at photos of the ship but cannot find an obstruction. Anybody have this room before? Looks fine to me.

 

you might have withheld the obstruction % which should be provided in your booking reservation documents. should be much lower then 8% obstruction.

9 hours ago, xps15z said:

I always thought when they introduced ages 18-25 that it would be pretty weird. Mixing underage drinkers with drinkers doesn't make sense, neither does have 24 and 25 year old men chasing after 18 and 19 year old girls.

Did Royal Caribbean finally update this to separate the ages more? 18-20 would be more appropriate in my mind.

I do also understand 18-20 would be very niche, so there's that also.

Anyone with children had experiences with the hyperlink meetups? What were your kids thoughts?

I had the same question and asked royal caribbean about it a long time ago.

When the age limit was first implemented they struggled with the right balance of ages since majority of the world the legal drinking age was 18.

They basically just made 18 as a placeholder which heavily depends on where the cruise was traveling to abide by country laws.

On 3/1/2024 at 5:57 AM, VasiliiNorris said:

The title says it all, actually...

Got a 50% off for a second person offer for my Deluxe package for a cruise in Oct 2024 (effective price is $75 p.p. per day). But still pricey, need to drink too much to at least get to ROI, don't want to waste health and gain back those hard-lost kilos for drinking so much. But I also don't want to constantly keep those calculations in my head and get a possible regret that I could've saved more by buying the package those days when I over indulge.

Is there any possibility that there is going to be a further discount or is this a theoretically top discount?

I have ALWAYS purchased the deluxe drink package regardless because it has always been worth the money because it covers more than just alcohol. You get soda, tea, coffee, premium water brands, juice and more!

The average drinker will reach alcohol fatigue well before they get their money's worth or more in drinks BUT below are many reasons you can get your money's worth without hurting your waistline/health or overindulge by getting the deluxe drink package:

- I go to vitality spa for their juice/smoothie bar twice a day in the morning and night. ( I get their green apple, cucumber, ginger, carrot and spinach smoothie)

- Rather than buying the packaged water deal or bring my own, I use my deluxe drink package to get 2 Evian water bottles at any of the bars and hoard them in my cabin to drink whenever.

- Access to fresh brew variety of coffees in the morning.

- They usually have coke zero and sprite zero if you ask.

Add that on top of my wine and cocktails, i've actually surpassed and came out positive in my deluxe drink package.

i was on the sailing right before yours, maybe we crossed paths as we were debarking since we stayed as long as we could on the ship until the kicked us out lol.

i always envied the fresh batch of cruising embarking as i debarked this ship bittersweet but you'll love the ship!

I also hide about 20 ducks around the ship if you can find them. i got them in the arcade at surfside. i'll be back on this ship later this year!

just finished this sailing and was my first time on this beautiful ship. definitely will be returning again some time this year because I got a cruise certificate for being the ultimate degenerate at the casino LOL.

Anyone else in this thread that went on this sailing!?

On 2/29/2024 at 2:20 PM, Marlena said:

Anyone know if a royal up for an "infinite balcony" is only for ocean view? It says ocean front in description but I worry we could get a CP one

i royaled up for the ocean view one and it is ONLY for ocean balconies. no central park and no surfside balconies.

3 hours ago, I_Love_RCI said:

See my post here: 

As you can see in pic, there is no "hard" divider.  There are 2 curtains, a sheer one and a light blocking one. 

 

 

Thank goodness my royal bid was accepted, I personally do not like any of the infinite category. compensating a/c just to open the window is ridiculous, especially for the caribbeans when its known for being humid and hot. I can see it being great for colder climates but not for Icon of the seas with a western/eastern caribbean.

On 1/3/2024 at 7:18 PM, VillainsGin said:

 

No one compete with me! i put in a max strength big for a large balcony room for ICON OTS. I'd rather pay extra than groan/regret staying in a infinite balcony cabin.

 

Wish me luck!

***Just an update***

My bid just got accepted as of today for the ocean view with large balcony!!! After more cruisers started confirming their dislike for the infinite balcony from the videos on youtube my anxiety just kept going up. BUT my max bid of $450 per person so $900 total was accepted, moving from infinite ocean balcony to ocean large balcony!

I dont have to stress about compromising my A/C and experience the view and smell of the ocean! 

8 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

I am going to pay more attention to this next month on Icon because I’ve never really noticed a trend. I do tend to go full force on night one which I’m sure most people do and then level off a bit towards the middle & end. Regardless, I always fast spin every machine I play, every single spin so things happen very quickly! 

I'm going in a few weeks on icon OTS so i'll definitely pay attention and report back as well. This is definitely something I see as a pattern but consistency may differ depending on the amount of sailings and duration of play. So far it has been day 1-2 in the casino was profitable then mid to end sailing session it was just all of us chasing back day 1 &2 lol.

9 hours ago, Hoppy2BHere said:

 

Onboard now. Slots pretty good first couple of days. Really tight last 2 days. 2nd night 18k and 15k jackpots announced and observed. We have been playing mostly dancing drums with little luck lately. Not much recirculation at all…  Roulette has been good on my fixed #s. Prime drinks are good and do not seem to care if you grab and go at the bar.  Will ask about the cash out max this PM. 
J&S

I've noticed the exact same thing in general for every single cruise i've sailed on. Day 1-2 in the casino for me im always on a heater on the tables AND slots then towards the half of the sailing I win nothing and lose the most insane hands.

From what i've done moving forward is gamble bigger on early sailing and slow down more towards the half to end.

1 hour ago, Mark_A said:

I don't gamble a lot but on one day in about 30 minutes I turned 100 dollars into 185. On the other day I went to the casino I played 100 and left about an hour later with 400.  I only played penny slots.  This was on the inaugural Sailing.

This only furthers my assumptions of them making the payouts higher than usual for the inaugural month to entice more gamblers then do the bait switch! I watched so many youtubers all winning net positive! My inner degenerate mind screams at me to go hard at the casino in march but my rational logical self says it's too late don't do it!

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

The only intel I have (since we have not cruised on Icon and most likely will not for some time) is that the return on the machines is set at 81% which is extraordinarily low.  I cannot confirm that information.

It could be my tinfoil hat coming on but i heard win rate is adjustable with the cruise line and "apparently" it's set to payout more often than usual for marketing purposes. I watched nearly every icon of the seas casino vlogs and video and most of them are all winning net positive, It gets you wondering about the bait and switch. With a gambler mentality tricking most consumer after the inaugural month to gamble.

1 minute ago, RCIFanatic said:

Has anyone sailed on Icon recently and could give us some feedback in regards to the software in the casino? Is it similar/same as the one on Wonder?

By the way, you can technically charge 10k per day. 5k at the tables and then another 5k at the cashier (with a different credit card). Just FYI if there are any high rollers looking for a larger credit available to them.

if no one has confirmed yet, i will most likely let everyone know is early march. Since im usually in the hot tubs majority of the time and casino is close second. it's always a pain getting limited with the amount you can charge daily. Good to know you can do another 5k at cashier BUT if you're a prime do they waive the surcharge fee at the cage as well?

1 hour ago, FrankT said:

Can anyone on the inaugural (or after) report whether the souvenir soda cup is anything special for Icon or the same as other ships?  Might be a fun early sailing souvenir if so, but if it's the same cup as the other ships, I can bring on my 12-pack of soda as per usual.

Only exclusive Icon OTS stuff I was able to find was specifically in their merch shop at the promenade.

5 minutes ago, Lucky said:

It's complimentary.

 

you are amazing thank you so much for this information!!!

Hello!

I've been trying to find more information regarding the category six water slides on icon of the seas but to no avail.

QUESTIONS:

1. Is all 6 water slides complimentary or do you have to pay extra to get access to it? IF you do have to pay extra, does it give you access to the water slide for the entire cruise or just that day?
2. Does weight limit or height vary per slide?
3. Could I ride the water slides with a waterproof recording device whether handheld or attached to my body?

Thanks in advance for all the insight and answers!

4 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Nobody knows the answers to any of these since Icon has not yet made a revenue sailing.  I would assume (dangerous, with no real data points yet) that #3 will remain the same for Icon as it is for the other ships....which is $5K per account per day.

I tried calling the casino royale department and customer service and they weren't able to give a definitive answer as well. All that was said they're working with a new software for the casino. Then it just triggered a bunch of follow up questions regarding how the new software will affect players.

I guess we'll sit tight until the first official cruise and hope someone covers it!

Just a few questions regarding gambling/casino on the Icon of the Seas below. I was told they're using a new software to track player's progress and membership.

Questions:

1. Can we still charge our room for cash to convert into chips to play tables? (All the RC ships I've been on has been extremely convenient in allowing me to charge my stateroom instead of bringing cash)
2. Will the new software integrate our current membership status and points or does it start fresh with the new software?
3. What is the daily maximum I can charge onto my stateroom in the casino?

No one compete with me! i put in a max strength big for a large balcony room for ICON OTS. I'd rather pay extra than groan/regret staying in a infinite balcony cabin.

Wish me luck!

19 hours ago, TheMaxRebo said:

We are staying in one of th family infinite balcony rooms on the Feb 17th sailing so I can let you know how it is after that lol 

Definitely do please, I will marked a reminder so I can follow up because its killing me LOL